Trap-gun.



AG; MGM' W. M. 'LINDSEY.

TRAP GUN. APPLICATION FILED I'E. 7, 1910. I 967,026. 4 Patented Aug.9,1910.

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WILLIAM MILTON LINDSEY, OF SONORA, TEXAS.

TRAP-GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

Application led February 7, 1910. Serial No. 542,493.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM M. LINDSEY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Sonora, in the county of Sutton and State of Texas,have invented anew and Improved Trap-Gun, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

The invention is an improvement in trap guns, and has in view a deviceof this character having a support adapted to be forced into the groundor other object, and on which the gun proper is mounted to swing bothhorizontally and vertically, whereby the gun is adapted to beautomatically aimed to the point desired by the pull on the firinglanyard.

The invention further resides in the special construction of the stockand support and the manner in which the hammer and barrel are therewithassembled.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a trap gun constructed in accordancewith my invention, the gun being shown cocked and in firing position;Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly in central vertical section, with thehammer released; Fig. 3 is a. plan of the gun; Figli is a section on theline 4 4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

In the construction of the gun, I provide downwardly and rearwardlycurved stock 10, which is rigid with a post 13, having aforwardly-extended arm 15, on which a barrel 16 is fulcrumed, to swingto one side into and out of operative position in order that the shellmay be removed and a new cartridge inserted. The stock and post 18 arepreferably constructed of a inet-al bar which is bent upon itself at thelower end of the stock, and also bent upon itself at the lower end ofthe post, forming each of two thicknesses or lengt-hs respectivelylocated one in front of the other. That portion of the bar forming thetop of the stock is reduced in diameter at the end, as also the arm ofthe post, providing shoulders against which a breech-plate 17, arrangedon these reduced portions, bears and is secured. The breech-plate isprovided with a notch 18 at the top, leading into the barrel when thelatter is in operative position, the

bottom of the notch being arranged substantially flush with the top ofthe stock, the notch serving to receive the point of a hammer 19, asshown in'Fig. 2. The hammer is carried at each side of the gun by onearm of a spring 20, the spring being wrapped around one end of a pin 21,which passes between the lengths of the bar forming the post 13, withthe opposite arm of the spring extending from the pin 21 through the eyeof a member 22, arranged crosswise of the stock between the len hs ofthe bar of which the stock is composed. The springs are made of a singlepiece of spring wire which is bent upon itself intermediate its lengthin the nature of a loop to form a finger-piece 2S for retracting thehammer, each length of the wire being wrapped about one end of apivot-pin 24 which passes transversely through the hammer near itsfiring point. The hammer is guided on the curved stock of the gun and isconstructed with a tailpiece 25, about midway the length of which at thelower edge is a catch 26 adapted to engage against the shoulder of anotch 27 formed in the stock, and hold the hammer retracted against thetension of the spring 20, the hammer being drawn back against the actionof the spring by pressing on the finger-piece 23.

Fulcrumed on the stock at a point slightly below the notch 2T is atrigger 28 having a portion 28 (see Fig. overlying the stock andarranged to engage under the tail-piece of the hammer when the latter iscocked, as shown in Fig. 1, the tail-piece having a beveled cam edgewhich causes the catch to be disengaged from the notch of the stock whenthe inner or lower arm of the trigger is pulled forwardly, this movementof the trigger swinging the hammer on its pivotA 24C until the firingpoint of the hammer strikes the guiding surface of the stock, at whichtime the catch 26 .is released from the shoulder and the hammer forciblycarried against the cartridge by the spring. A lanyard member 29,preferably in the nature of' a piece of wire, is connected to the lowerarm of the trigger and passes forwardly through a guide 30, and isextended some distance therebeyond, where it is provided with an eye 31for attaching it to the firing lanyard 32, the guide being rigidlysecured to the outer end of the arm 15 and having an inwardly-turnedspring finger 30a arranged to engage a. recess at the under side of thebarrel and secure the latter in operative position, the spring lingerbeing pressed into and out of the recess by exerting slight pressure onthe barrel to cause it to swing on the arm. The lower end of the post isreceived in a yoke 34, to which it is fulcrumed by a pin 35 extendingbetween the members of which the post is composed, the yoke beingjournaled on a vertical spike 36, which is thrust into the ground orother member when the gun is set. This manner of supporting the gunthrough the post Vadapts the gun to swing both vertically andhorizontally and be automatically aimed to the point desired by the pullon the firing lanyard.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

l. A trap gun comprising a stock having a notch, a post in connectionwith the stock, having means for supporting the gun and provided with anoutwardly-extended arm, a barrel ulcrumed on the arm to swing to andfrom operative position, a hammer movable over and guided on the stockand having a catch adapted to engage in the notch of the stock when thehammer is retracted from the barrel, a spring by which the hammer iscarried, tending to :torce the hammer toward the barrel, and a triggerfulcrumed to the stock and having a portion arranged to lift the tail ofthe hammer and release the catch from the notch when the trigger isdrawn forwardly.

2. In a trap gun, a stock, a post rigid with the stock, having anoutwardly extended arm, a barrel carried by the arm, a yoke in which thelower end of the post is fulcrumed to swing in a vertical plane, and avertical spike on which the yoke is revoluble.

8. In a trap gun, a support having a laterally-'extended arm, a barrelfulcrumed on the arm adapting it to swing to one side and -having arecess at its under side, and a spring finger fixed to the arm andarranged to engage m a recess at the under side of the barrel and retainthe'barrel in operative position.

4. A trap gun comprising a downwardly and rearwardly-curved stock, ahammer guided on the outer curved side of the stock, having a pivot-pintransversely arranged near its firing point, and springs by which thehammer is carried, secured to the opposite ends of the pivot-pin.

5. In a trap gun, a downwardly and outwardly-inclined stock, a hammermovable over and guided on the outer side of the stock, and a springhaving an arm by which the hammer is carried.

6. In a trap gun, a stock, a supporting post, said stock and post beingconstructed of a bar bent upon itself at the lower end of the post andstock,`forming each of a double length of the bar, with one lengtharranged in front of the other, and with the front length of the postlaterally extended at its upper end to provide an arm, and a barrelfulcrumed on the arm to swing to and from operative position.

7. A trap gun comprising a downwardly and rearwardly-curved stock, asupporting post rigid with the stock, projections arranged at theoppositie sides of the post approximately concentric to the outer curvedside of the stock, a hammer movable over the outer curved side of thestock and having projections extending from the opposite sid-es thereof,and a spring of a single length of wire bent upon itself intermediateits length to provide a finger-piece for retracting the hammer, eachlength-of wire being connected to the projections at one side of thetrigger and post and secured at its outer end to the lower portion ofthe stock. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM MILTON LINDSEY. `Witnesses J. S. ALLrsoN,

O. WV. DRENNAN.

